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EP 2 400 117 A1

EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(12)
(43) Date of publication:

(51) Int Cl.:

F01D 17/16 (2006.01)

F25B 11/02 (2006.01)

28.12.2011 Bulletin 2011/52

F02C 9/20 (2006.01)

F25J 3/06 (2006.01)

(21) Application number: 11170560.4

(22) Date of filing: 20.06.2011
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB
GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO
PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR
Designated Extension States:
BA ME

Scotti del Greco, Alberto

50127 Firenze (IT)
Ghiraldo, Stefano
50127 Firenze (IT)

(74) Representative: Illingworth-Law, William

Illingworth
Global Patent Operation - Europe
GE International Inc.
15 John Adam Street
London WC2N 6LU (GB)

(30) Priority: 24.06.2010 IT CO20100034

(71) Applicant: Nuovo Pignone S.p.A.
50127 Florence (IT)

(72) Inventors:
Mariotti, Gabriele
50127 Firenze (IT)

(54)

Turboexpander and method for using moveable inlet guide vanes at compressor inlet
pressor (224) and configured to control a pressure of the
gas input into the compressor (224), and a controller
(240) configured to acquire information about a rotating
speed of the shaft (230), a pressure and a temperature
of the incoming gas, a pressure and a temperature of the
gas output from the expander (210), and to control the
second set of moveable inlet guide vanes (232) to maximize a ratio between the rotating speed of the shaft (230)
and a drop of an enthalpy across the expander (210), in
off-design conditions.

EP 2 400 117 A1

(57)
A turboexpander-compressor system (200) includes an expander (210) configured to expand an incoming gas (214), a first set of moveable inlet guide
vanes (218) configured to control a pressure of the incoming gas, a compressor (224) configured to compress
a gas received from the expander (210), a shaft (230)
configured to support and rotate an expander impeller
(212) and a compressor impeller (226), a second set of
moveable inlet guide vanes (232) attached to the com-

Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR)

EP 2 400 117 A1

Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention

[0001] Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed

herein generally relate to methods and systems for
achieving an enhanced operation of an expander using
moveable inlet guide vanes at a compressor inlet.

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Description of the Prior Art

[0002] Turboexpanders are widely used for industrial
refrigeration, oil and gas processing and in low temperature processes. Turboexpanders are used, for example,
to extract heavier hydrocarbon gases such as ethane
(C2H6), propane (C3H8), normal butane (n-C4H10), isobutane (i-C4H10), pentanes and even higher molecular
weight hydrocarbons, collectively referred to as natural
gas liquids (NGL), from natural gas. A gas-liquid mixture
resulting from an expansion of a raw gas in an expander
is usually separated into a gas stream and a liquid stream.
Most of the natural gas liquids are removed by outputing
the liquid stream separately from the remaining gas
stream, which is usually then compressed to be sent to
downstream users.
[0003] Figure 1 illustrates a conventional turboexpander-compressor system 100 in which a tuborexpander 10
and a compressor 20 have impellers arranged on a same
shaft 30. The turboexpander 10 is typically a centrifugal
or axial flow expander inside which an incoming gas 40
is expanded. The gas expansion produces mechanical
work causing a rotation of an expander impeller 50. The
expanded gas is output as a gas flow 60. The gas flow
60 output from the turboexpander 10 may be input to the
compressor 20 (i.e., the gas flow 70).
[0004] After an expansion (an isoentropic expansion
may be used for calculation purposes) of the incoming
gas 40 having a pressure p1 and a temperature T1 when
entering the turboexpander 10, the gas flow 60 has a
pressure p2 and a temperature T2 which are respectively
lower than the pressure p1 and the temperature T1.
[0005] Since a compressor impeller 80 is mounted on
the same shaft 30 as the expander impeller 50, the rotation of the expander impeller 50 causes the rotation of
the compressor impeller 80. In this manner, the mechanical work produced in the turboexpander 10 is transferred
to the compressor 20. The expander impeller 50, the
compressor impeller 80 and the shaft 30 rotate at the
same speed. The energy of the rotation of the compressor impeller 80 is used in the compressor 20 to compress
the gas flow 70 input at a pressure p3 in the compressor
20. The compressor 20 outputs an output gas flow 90
having a pressure p4 higher than the pressure p3.
[0006] The pressure of the incoming gas 40 entering
the turboexpander 10 is often controlled to be maintained
around a design value. For example, a set of standard

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moveable input guide vanes (not shown in Figure 1) may

be used to control the pressure of the incoming gas 40
entering the turboexpander 10.
[0007] Ideally, at design conditions, the pressure p1 of
the incoming gas 40, and the pressure p2 of the gas flow
60 output from the turboexpander 10 have predetermined
values (i.e., within a range around the predetermined values). When the pressures p1 and p2 have the predetermined values, a speed u of the shaft is close to a design
value. However, the turboexpander-compressor system
at times functions in conditions different from the design
conditions.
[0008] Generally, the turboexpander efficiency is related to a ratio of (i) the shaft speed u and (ii) the isoentropic enthalpy drop across the turboexpander 10. However, that a real transformation occurs in the turboexpander 10. The real transformation is determined when
knowing a gas composition, the pressure p1 and the temperature T1 of the incoming gas 40, and the pressure p2
and the temperature T2 of the gas flow 60 output from
the turboexpander 10. The isoentropic enthalpy drop
across the turboexpander 10 can be calculated knowing
the gas composition, the pressure p1, the temperature
T1, and the pressure P2.
[0009] The compression in the compressor 20 passively affects the turboexpander efficiency by altering the
speed u of the shaft 30. Therefore, in off-design conditions, the turboexpander efficiency is not optimized when
a single parameter, the pressure p1 of the incoming gas
40, is adjusted. Being able to adjust only the pressure p1
of the incoming gas 40 limits an operator ability to optimize the turboexpander efficiency.
[0010] If no additional source of energy is used, the
compression is a by-product of the expansion in the expander 10. The compression efficiency is determined by
the pressure p3 of the gas input in the compressor 20,
and a rotation speed of the compressor impeller, which
is the same as the rotation speed u of the shaft 30.
[0011] In the conventional turboexpander-compressor
system capable to adjust only the pressure p1 of the incoming gas 40, an operator has no leverage to fully control the rotating speed u of the shaft 30 for off-design
conditions.
[0012] Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide
systems and methods that avoid the afore-described
problems and drawbacks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

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[0013] According to one exemplary embodiment, a turboexpander-compressor system includes an expander,

a first set of moveable inlet guide vanes, a compressor,
a shaft, a second set of moveable inlet guide vanes and
a controller. The expander is configured to expand an
incoming gas, and has an expander impeller. The first
set of moveable inlet guide vanes are attached to the
expander and are configured to control a pressure of the
incoming gas. The compressor is configured to compress

EP 2 400 117 A1

a gas received from the expander, and has a compressor

impeller. The shaft is configured to support and rotate
the expander impeller and the compressor impeller. The
second set of moveable inlet guide vanes are attached
to the compressor and are configured to control a pressure of the gas input into the compressor. The controller,
which is connected to the second set of moveable inlet
guide vanes, is configured to acquire information about
a rotating speed of the shaft, the pressure and a temperature of the incoming gas, and a pressure and a temperature of the gas output by the expander. The controller
is also configured to control the second set of moveable
inlet guide vanes in order to adjust the pressure of the
gas input into the compressor to maximize a ratio between the rotating speed of the shaft and a drop of an
enthalpy across the expander in off-design conditions.
[0014] According to another exemplary embodiment,
a method of controlling a turboexpander-compressor
system having an expander with an expander impeller
connected via a shaft to a compressor impeller of a compressor that compresses a gas flow output by the expander is provided. The method includes receiving first
information on a pressure and a temperature of an incoming gas entering the expander, receiving second information on a pressure of a gas output by the expander,
and receiving third information on a rotating speed of the
shaft attached to the compressor impeller and the expander impeller. The method further includes determining when the turboexpander-compressor system functions in off-design conditions based on the received first,
second and third information. The method further includes comparing a ratio between the rotating speed of
the shaft and a drop of an enthalpy across the expander
with a predetermined value, when determined that the
turboexpander-compressor system functions in the offdesign conditions. The method also includes controlling
a compressor set of moveable inlet guide vanes connected to a compressor inlet to adjust a pressure of the gas
input in the compressor, to bring the ratio between the
rotating speed of the shaft and the drop of the enthalpy
across the expander in the off-design conditions closer
to the predetermined value.
[0015] According to another embodiment, a controller
configured to control an turboexpander-compressor system has an interface and a control unit. The turboexpander-compressor system has an expander with an expander impeller, and a compressor with a compressor impeller, the expander impeller and the compressor impeller
being rotated by a same shaft, and the compressor compressing a gas output by the expander. The interface is
configured to receive information on a pressure and a
temperature of an incoming gas entering the expander,
a pressure and a temperature of the gas output by the
expander, and a rotating speed of the shaft, and to output
commands to a compressor set of inlet vanes configured
to control a pressure of the gas input in the compressor.
The control unit is connected to the interface and is configured to receive the information from the interface, de-

termine when the turboexpander-compressor system

functions in off-design conditions, and generate the commands for the compressor set of moveable inlet guide
vanes in order to maintain a ratio between the rotating
speed of the shaft and a drop of enthalpy across the
expander within a predetermined range, in off-design
conditions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments and, together with the
description, explain these embodiments. In the drawings:
[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional turboexpander-compressor system;
[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a turboexpander-compressor system according to an exemplary
embodiment;
[0019] Figure 3 is a turboexpander-compressor system according to another exemplary embodiment;
[0020] Figure 4 is a flow diagram of a method of controlling a turboexpander-compressor system according
to another exemplary embodiment;
[0021] Figure 5 is a flow diagram of a method of controlling a turboexpander-compressor system according
to another exemplary embodiment; and
[0022] Figure 6 is a controller according to another exemplary embodiment.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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[0023] The following description of the exemplary embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings. The
same reference numbers in different drawings identify
the same or similar elements. The following detailed description does not limit the invention. Instead, the scope
of the invention is defined by the appended claims. The
following embodiments are discussed, for simplicity, with
regard to the terminology and structure of turboexpandercompressor systems. However, the embodiments to be
discussed next are not limited to these systems, but may
be applied to other systems that transfer work generated
by an expander to a compressor compressing gas output
by the expander.
[0024] Reference throughout the specification to "one
embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular
feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed. Thus, the appearance of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an
embodiment" in various places throughout the specification is not necessarily referring to the same embodiment.
Further, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or
more embodiments.
[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a turboexpander-compressor system 200 according to an exem-

EP 2 400 117 A1

plary embodiment. An expander 210 has an expander

impeller 212. The expander 210 receives an incoming
gas flow 214. Inside the expander 210, the gas may expand and thus, cause rotation of the expander impeller
212. The expanded gas is output from the expander 210
as a gas flow 216.
[0026] When the turboexpander-compressor system
200 functions at design conditions, a pressure p1 and a
temperature T1 of the incoming gas flow 214, as well as
a pressure p2 and a temperature T2 of the gas flow 216
have values close to predetermined values. However, at
times, the turboexpander-compressor system functions
in off-design conditions. When off-design conditions occur, the pressure p1 of the incoming gas flow 214 may
be adjusted to become again close to the respective predetermined value, using, for example, a first set of moveable input guide vanes (IGV1) 218. The IGV1 218 are
attached to an inlet of the expander 210.
[0027] If the incoming gas flow 214 is a mixture of gases including heavier hydrocarbon gases, most of the
heavier hydrocarbon gases liquefy at the low temperatures achieved due to the expansion. In one application,
the liquefied heavier hydrocarbon gases may be removed from the expander 210 as a separate liquid stream
by a separator (Sep) 220.
[0028] In the turboexpander-compressor system 200
illustrated in Figure 2, a compressor 224 has a compressor impeller 226. The compressor 224 receives the gas
flow 216 from the expander 210 and outputs a compressed gas flow 228. However, between the expander
210 and the compressor 224, the pressure of the gas
flow 216 may be altered due to other process components (e.g., separators, coolers, valves) and pressure
losses, the gas flow 216 having a pressure p3 when input
in the compressor 224.
[0029] The mechanical work generated due to the expansion of the gas rotates the expander impeller 212.
The expander impeller 212 is mounted on the same shaft
230 as the compressor impeller 226. Due to this arrangement, the compressor impeller 226 also rotates due to
the mechanical work generated during the expansion of
the gas in the expander 210. The rotation of the compressor impeller 226 provides energy used to compress
the gas in the compressor 224. Thus, if no additional
source of energy is used, the compression is a by-product
of the expansion in the expander 210.
[0030] Conversely, the mechanical work necessary to
rotate the compressor impeller 226 also named load, affects the rotating speed u of the shaft 230, and, thereby,
indirectly affects the process of expanding the gas inside
the expander 210.
[0031] The expander efficiency is related to a ratio of
the rotating speed u of the shaft 230, and a drop of an
enthalpy H across the expander 210. The gas expansion in the expander 210 may be approximated as being
an isoentropic process. The isoentropic drop of the enthalpy H across the expander may be estimated as a
function of (i) the pressure p1 and the temperature T1 of

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the incoming gas flow 214 entering the expander 210,

(ii) the pressure p2 of the gas flow 216 output from the
expander 210, and (iii) a gas composition. The gas composition may be a constant, input manually or provided
as an output of a gas composition analyzer.
[0032] In reality, the gas expansion in the expander
210 is not an ideal isoentropic process. The drop of the
enthalpy H across the expander 210 may be calculated
using (i) the pressure p1 and the temperature T1 of the
incoming gas 214 entering the expander 210, (ii) the pressure p2 and the temperature T2 of the gas flow 216 output
from the expander 210, and (iii) the gas composition.
[0033] The characteristic parameters (i.e., p1, T1, p2
and T2) of the gas expansion in the expander 210 and
the rotating speed u of the shaft 230 may not vary independently. Therefore, in off-design conditions, in order
to maximize the expander efficiency, the pressure p3 of
the gas flow 216 input in the compressor 224 may be
controlled, for example, by a second set of moveable
inlet guide vanes (IGV2) 232 provided at the compressor
inlet. By modifying the pressure p3 of the gas flow 216
input in the compressor 224, the rotating speed u of the
shaft 230 is modified and, therefore, the expander efficiency in the expander 210 can be maximized.
[0034] The rotating speed u of the shaft 230 may be
measured at a location between the expander 210 and
the compressor 224, next to the shaft 230, for example,
by a speed sensor (Su) 234. The pressure p1 and the
temperature T1 of the incoming gas flow 214 entering the
expander 210 may be measured, for example, by a sensor (Sp1) 235 and a sensor (ST1) 236, respectively.
[0035] The pressure p2 and a temperature T2 of the
gas flow 216 may be measured at the output of the expander 210, for example, by a sensor (Sp2) 237 and a
sensor (ST2) 238, respectively. The pressure p3 of the
gas flow 216 at the input of the compressor 224 may be
measured, for example, by a sensor (Sp3) 239.
[0036] A controller 240 acquires information regarding
the pressure p1 and the temperature T1 of the incoming
gas flow 214 entering the expander 210, the pressure p2
of the gas flow 216 entering the compressor 224, and
the rotating speed u of the shaft 230, from the sensors
234, 235, 236, and 237, respectively.
[0037] In one embodiment, the controller 240 may
send commands C1 to IGV1 218 in order to adjust the
pressure p1 of the incoming gas flow 214 to be within a
predetermined range.
[0038] Based on monitoring the acquired information,
the controller 240 determines when the turboexpandercompressor system 200 functions in off-design conditions. When the controller 240 determines that the turboexpander-compressor system 200 functions in off-design conditions, the controller 240 sends commands C2
to the second set of IGV2 232 to adjust the pressure p3
of the gas input into the compressor in order to maximize
a ratio R between the rotating speed u of the shaft 230
and the drop of the enthalpy H across the expander 210.
[0039] Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment

EP 2 400 117 A1

of a turboexpander-compressor system 201 having the

expander 210 with the expander impeller 212, and the
compressor 224 with the compressor impeller 226
mounted on the same shaft 230. The pressure p1 of the
incoming gas flow 214 entering the expander 210 is adjusted by the set of moveable inlet guide vanes 218. The
pressure p3 of the gas flow input in the compressor 224
is controlled by the set of moveable inlet guide vanes
232. The expander 210, the shaft 230 and the compressor 224 are encased in a casing 250. The casing 250
holds the expander 210, the shaft 230 and the compressor 224 at predetermined locations relative to each other.
[0040] According to an exemplary embodiment, Figure
4 illustrates a method 400 performed by a turboexpandercompressor system having an expander with an expander impeller connected via a shaft to a compressor impeller
of a compressor that compresses a gas flow output by
the expander. The method, which may be performed by
a controller similar to the controller 240 in Figure 2, includes receiving first information on a pressure p1 and a
temperature T1 of an incoming gas entering the expander
at S410, receiving second information on a pressure p2
and a temperature T2 of a gas output by the expander at
S420, and receiving third information on a rotating speed
u of a shaft attached to the compressor impeller and the
expander impeller, at S430.
[0041] The first information on the pressure p1 and the
temperature T1 of an incoming gas entering the expander
may be based on measuring the pressure p1 and the
temperature T1 at S405, for example, by a sensor such
as Sp1 235 and ST1 236 in Figure 2. The second information on the pressure p2 and the temperature T2 of the
gas output by the expander may be based on measuring
the pressure p2, at S415. The pressure p2 and the temperature T2 may be measured, for example, by sensors
such as Sp2 237 and ST2 238 in Figure 2, at an exit of
the expander 210. The third information on the rotating
speed u of the shaft may be based on measuring a rotating speed u at S425. The rotating speed u may be
measured, for example, by a sensor such as Su 234 in
Figure 2 at a location next to the shaft 230, between the
expander 210 and the compressor 224 therein.
[0042] The method illustrated in Figure 4 further includes determining when the turboexpander-compressor system functions in off-design conditions at S440. If
determined that the turboexpander-compressor system
does not function in the off-design conditions, the method
loops back receiving information on p1 and T1 (S410), p2
(S420), and u (S430), and determining whether the turboexpander-compressor system functions in off-design
conditions (S440).
[0043] If determined that the turboexpander-compressor system functions in off-design conditions, the method
further includes calculating and comparing a ratio R between the rotating speed of the shaft u and a drop of an
enthalpy H across the expander with a predetermined
value V at S450. The enthalpy drop may be calculated
as a function of p1, T1, p2, T2, and the gas composition

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at S445.
[0044] The method further includes controlling a compressor set of moveable inlet guide vanes connected to
a compressor inlet through which the gas output by the
expander enters into the compressor, to adjust the pressure p3 of the gas input into the compressor, such as to
bring the ratio R closer to the predetermined value V at
S460.
[0045] The method may further include adjusting an
expander set of moveable inlet guide vanes such as IGV1
in Figure 2 located at the input of the expander to maintain
the pressure p1 of the incoming gas entering the expander within a predetermined range.
[0046] When the incoming gas is a mixture including
heavy components, the method may further include separating the heavy components that are liquefied in the
expander from the gas output from the expander and
input into the compressor, for example, by a separator
such as Sep 220 in Figure 2.
[0047] The method may calculate the drop of the enthalpy across the expander using a function of (i) the
pressure p1 and the temperature T1 of the incoming gas,
(ii) the pressure p2 of the gas output from the expander
and (iii) a gas composition, assuming that the gas expansion in the expander is an isoentropic process.
[0048] According to another exemplary embodiment,
Figure 5 illustrates a method 500 of controlling a turboexpander-compressor system having an expander with an
expander impeller connected via a shaft to a compressor
impeller of a compressor that compresses a gas flow
output by the expander.
[0049] The method includes receiving first information
on a pressure and a temperature of an incoming gas
entering the expander at S510, receiving second information on a pressure of a gas output by the expander at
S520, and receiving third information on a rotating speed
of the shaft attached to the compressor impeller and the
expander impeller at S530.
[0050] The method further includes determining when
the turboexpander-compressor system functions in offdesign conditions based on the received first, second
and third information at S540.
[0051] The method also includes comparing a ratio between the rotating speed of the shaft and a drop of an
enthalpy across the expander with a predetermined value, when determined that the turboexpander-compressor system functions in the off-design conditions at S550.
[0052] The method further includes controlling a compressor set of moveable inlet guide vanes connected to
a compressor inlet and through which the gas output by
the expander enters into the compressor, to adjust the
pressure of the gas input into the compressor such as to
bring the ratio closer to the predetermined value at S560.
[0053] Figure 6 illustrates a controller according to another exemplary embodiment. The controller 600 is configured to control a turboexpander-compressor system
such as 200 in Figure 2. The controller may include an
interface 610, a control unit 620 and a memory 630.

EP 2 400 117 A1

[0054] The interface 610 receives information on the

pressure p1 and the temperature T1 of the incoming gas
entering the expander, the pressure p2 of the gas output
by the expander, and the rotating speed u of the shaft,
for example, from sensors such as Sp1 235, ST1 236,
Sp2 237, and Su 234 in Figure 2. The interface 610 may
also receive information about the temperature T2 of the
gas output from the expander and the pressure p3 of the
gas input in the compressor from sensors such as ST2
238 and Sp3 239 in Figure 2. The interface 610 is also
configured to output commands C2 to the compressor
set of inlet vanes such as IGV2 232 in Figure 2. The
interface 610 may also be configured to output commands C1 to the expander set of moveable inlet guide
vanes such as IGV1 in Figure 2.
[0055] The control unit 620 is connected to the interface 610 and monitors the information received through
the interface, to determine, for example, when the turboexpander-compressor system functions in off-design
conditions. For example, the controller may determine
whether the turboexpander-compressor system functions in off-design conditions by comparing values or
functions of the pressure p1, the temperature T1, the pressure p2, and a rotating speed u of the shaft with predetermined values stored in a memory 630. A composition
of the gas used to calculate the drop of the enthalpy may
also be stored in the memory 630.
[0056] If the control unit 620 determines that the turboexpander-compressor system functions in the off-design conditions, the control unit 620 generates commands to be transmitted to the compressor set of moveable inlet guide vanes, to adjust the pressure p3 of the
gas input in the compressor in order to maintain the ratio
R between the rotating speed u of the shaft and the drop
of enthalpy H across the expander, within a predetermined range.
[0057] The control unit 620 may be configured to estimate the drop in enthalpy H using the information on
the pressure p1, the temperature T1, the pressure p2 and
the composition of the gas. The control unit 620 may also
generate commands to be transmitted to the expander
set of inlet guide vanes in order to maintain the pressure
p1 within a predetermined range. The interface 610 may
then output these commands to the expander set of inlet
guide vanes. The control unit 620 may be implemented
in hardware, firmware, software or a combination thereof.
[0058] The disclosed exemplary embodiments provide
a system, a method and a controller which maximize a
turboexpander-compressor system efficiency in off-design conditions using a set of moveable inlet guide vanes
at an inlet of the compressor. It should be understood
that this description is not intended to limit the invention.
On the contrary, the exemplary embodiments are intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents,
which are included in the spirit and scope of the invention
as defined by the appended claims. Further, in the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a

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comprehensive understanding of the claimed invention.

However, one skilled in the art would understand that
various embodiments may be practiced without such
specific details.
[0059] Although the features and elements of the
present exemplary embodiments are described in the
embodiments in particular combinations, each feature or
element can be used alone without the other features
and elements of the embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements disclosed herein.
[0060] This written description uses examples of the
subject matter disclosed to enable any person skilled in
the art to practice the same, including making and using
any devices or systems and performing any incorporated
methods. The patentable scope of the subject matter is
defined by the claims, and may include other examples
that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples
are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

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Claims
1.

A turboexpander-compressor system, comprising:

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an expander configured to expand an incoming

gas and having an expander impeller;
a first set of moveable inlet guide vanes attached
to the expander and configured to control a pressure of the incoming gas;
a compressor configured to compress a gas received from the expander and having a compressor impeller;
a shaft configured to support and rotate the expander impeller and the compressor impeller;
a second set of moveable inlet guide vanes attached to the compressor and configured to control a pressure of the gas input into the compressor; and
a controller connected to the second set of
moveable inlet guide vanes and configured to:

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acquire information about a rotating speed

of the shaft, the pressure and a temperature
of the incoming gas, and a pressure and a
temperature of the gas output by the expander, and
control the second set of moveable inlet
guide vanes to adjust the pressure of the
gas input into the compressor to maximize
a ratio between the rotating speed of the
shaft and a drop of an enthalpy across the
expander in off-design conditions.

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2.

The turboexpander-compressor system of claim 1,

wherein an expander efficiency is related to the ratio
of the rotating speed of the shaft and the drop of the
enthalpy across the expander.

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3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

EP 2 400 117 A1

The turboexpander-compressor system of claim 1

or claim 2, further comprising:
a first sensor configured to measure the rotating
speed of the shaft;
a second sensor configured to measure the
pressure of the incoming gas;
a third sensor configured to measure the temperature of the incoming gas;
a fourth sensor configured to measure the pressure of the gas output by the expander; and
a fifth sensor configured to measure the temperature of the gas output by the expander,
wherein the drop in the enthalpy is estimated
using the information achieved from the first,
second, third, fourth and fifth sensors.

10

The turboexpander-compressor system of any preceding claim, further comprising: a sensor located
at an inlet of the compressor, connected to the controller and configured to measure a pressure of the
gas input in the compressor.

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The turboexpander-compressor system of any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to
determine when the turboexpander-compressor
system functions in off-design conditions.
The turboexpander-compressor system of any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to
control the first set of moveable inlet guide vanes to
maintain the pressure of the incoming gas in a predetermined range.
The turboexpander-compressor system of any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to
estimate the drop of the enthalpy across the expander using a function of the pressure of the incoming
gas, the temperature of the incoming gas, a composition of the incoming gas, and the pressure of the
gas output by the expander.

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The turboexpander-compressor system of any preceding claim, further comprising:

a casing configured to hold the expander, the
shaft and the compressor at predetermined locations.
A method of controlling a turboexpander-compressor system having an expander with an expander
impeller connected via a shaft to a compressor impeller of a compressor that compresses a gas flow
output by the expander, the method comprising:

receiving second information on a pressure of a

gas output by the expander;
receiving third information on a rotating speed
of the shaft attached to the compressor impeller
and the expander impeller;
determining when the turboexpander-compressor system functions in off-design conditions
based on the received first, second and third information;
comparing a ratio between the rotating speed of
the shaft and a drop of an enthalpy across the
expander with a predetermined value, when determined that the turboexpander-compressor
system functions in the off-design conditions;
and
controlling a compressor set of moveable inlet
guide vanes connected to a compressor inlet
through which the gas output by the expander
enters into the compressor, to adjust a pressure
of the gas input into the compressor such as to
bring the ratio closer to the predetermined value.
10. A controller configured to control a turboexpandercompressor system having an expander with an expander impeller, and a compressor with a compressor impeller, the expander impeller and the compressor impeller being rotated by a same shaft, and the
compressor compressing a gas output by the expander, the controller comprising:

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9.

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receiving first information on a pressure and a

temperature of an incoming gas entering the expander;

an interface configured to,

receive information on a pressure and a temperature of an incoming gas entering the expander,
a pressure and a temperature of the gas output
by the expander, and a rotating speed of the
shaft, and
output commands to a compressor set of inlet
vanes configured to control a pressure of the
gas input in the compressor; and
a control unit connected to the interface and configured to,
receive the first, second and third information
from the interface, determine when the turboexpander-compressor system functions in off-design conditions, and
generate the commands for the compressor set
of moveable inlet guide vanes to maintain a ratio
between the rotating speed of the shaft and a
drop of enthalpy across the expander within a
predetermined range, in off-design conditions.

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